


Port After Stormy Seas

by Lafrenze



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Not Canon Compliant, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-05-19
Packaged: 2018-03-31 05:51:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3966802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lafrenze/pseuds/Lafrenze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All you wanted was a nice, relaxing bath after a mission.</p><p> </p><p>For the most precious Jill. Happy Birthday!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Port After Stormy Seas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BlondeMelancholic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlondeMelancholic/gifts).



> So, I only learned it was your birthday today on Friday, so this is definitely rushed and super unpolished but I wanted it done today, but this means that next year I can totally be ready. But I seem to remember you once expressing a fondness for bath scenes and so I had to try my hand at it. Please enjoy the birthday fic, staring our favorite totally-not-dead Sokovian husband.

Another day, another world-threatening crisis, but such was the life of an Avenger, no matter how part-time the role. It was strange to think such an adventurous job could ever feel mundane, but here you were. The novelty of a being a superhero wore off much more quickly than most people would think. Don't mistake it, you genuinely loved the job, there was something uniquely rewarding about saving the world on a regular basis, but at the end of the day it was still a job. The pay was good, fantastic even, and you got to travel for work. Just try not to look at the insurance bills in the mailbox. There was one last thing about it that really got to you, however, and that was the fact that, on occasion, you found yourself back in New York post-mission on your birthday. There was nothing redeeming about it, besides _maybe_ the fact that at least you hadn't been forced to ship out today (the call came in four days prior, in this case).

So now you found yourself in the Avenger's Tower, your first destination upon re-arrival to the States. You didn't live there, for all that you liked Tony and considered him a valued friend you shuddered to think of what he'd be like as a housemate or neighbor. Like all the Avengers, you had a floor of your own, a personal apartment that you treated more like a vacation home than anything else, and there was nothing better after a mission than holing up for a few days and pretending the world ceased outside your door. Of special note was that, because the whole place was funded by Stark (and the majority of the living spaces designed by Pepper with individual input, thankfully), no expense was spared in the most literal of senses. Just about everything in your apartment was way above your pay grade, so you always took the time to enjoy it while you were in town.

As always, your first priority was a nice, relaxing bath. You'd showered on the quinjet ride home, but that was a practical thing. No way were you going to fly home and take a cab covered in sweaty clothes and blood. What you wanted now was a purely indulgent thing: steaming hot water, a soothingly scented candle, a nice fizzy bath bomb and a glass of something sweet. You threw your travel bag on your bed, not even bothering to be careful, and made a beeline for your bathroom. Shoes and socks were toed off, and after you began drawing hot water into the soaking tub that was the crown jewel of the room you headed for the small counter and shelf that constituted your mini bar. Pepper suggested it, actually she'd all but insisted on it when you protested, saying that you would come around on the idea. You didn't drink much, or often, so you didn't see the point at the time; however not too long ago Ultron happened and you learned the joy of a nice drink to go along with a long soak. There was only one bottle of alcohol right now, full of amaretto, and you poured yourself a glass. You returned the bottle to it's place and went back to the tub, setting your drink on the surround, waiting until the water level was where you wanted it so you could turn it off. One quick search through a nearby drawer later and you had a bath bomb, rose scented, which you promptly slipped into the water. For a moment you debated if a candle was in the cards, and in the end you decided that there was no reason to not pull out all of the stops. It was your birthday, after all. You decided on one that smelled like a fresh sea breeze, or at least that's what you thought of when you sniffed it.

Finally, with all the preparations done, it was bath time. You stripped quickly, throwing your clothes into the hamper, and climbed into the tub. The water was just how you liked it, just this shy of too hot, and as you sank into it up to your shoulders you felt the tension melting away beautifully. You closed your eyes and sank in a little further, so that you could rest your head.

“Hey, F.R.I.D.A.Y., could I ask a favor?” you asked, though not without a tinge of loss for her predecessor. Computer generated A.I. or not, J.A.R.V.I.S. had been a member of the team.

“Certainly, miss. What do you require?” replied the feminine voice from the speakers in the ceiling.

“There should be an audio track called Home By The Sea, can you load that up, please?” Instead of an answer, the sound of wind and waves filled the room. “Thank you very much.” Not long after that, you began to drift off, not to the point of sleep, but definitely close enough that you lost track of time and forgot about the world outside. 

Which might explain why the sudden interruption of a familiar voice startled you so much.

“I had a feeling I'd find you here.”

There was only one person who had clearance to just barge in, minus during an emergency, so it wasn't fear that made you jump. “Geez, Pietro, you almost gave me a heart attack. How're you gonna keep me as a girlfriend if you startle me to death?” You shifted a bit to get a better view of him.

“If I recall, you've come back from worse than a little scare. Remember Linbourne?” A rhetorical question that was, who could forget that incident, not the least because for three months straight it was all over the internet. “When you didn't stop by after coming in I got worried.”

Truthfully, you'd forgotten that Pietro had texted you about his flying in to meet you today. A small tide of guilt rose in you. “I'm sorry, I was so tired it slipped my mind.” A moment's thought reminded you of the fact that there was comfortable room for two people in the water. “Since you're here, come and join me,” you requested quietly.

To your surprise, he doesn't even pretend to resist the idea, instead removing his clothes with a swiftness that only he could muster. You watched, of course you did because you were only human and sometimes you wondered how you not only managed to woo him, but also keep his affections so steadily. (He'd say the same thing about you, if you ever asked, although you wouldn't so much as mention the topic for quite some time.) Pietro noticed your gaze, his proud smirk assured you of that.

“Enjoying the view?” 

Your response was a noise of agreement, something not quite a hum but close. When you leaned back a touch, resting your arms on the side of the tub his heart stuttered. There was something regal in your expression, alongside the tiredness that was expected, and with the sound of waves playing in the room it wasn't hard to imagine you as a siren resting near the shore.

Once he was in the water you wrapped an arm around him and leaned into his shoulder. Pietro reciprocated the gesture and you sighed in content. “I missed you. What rotten luck that I got called in right before you came home.”

“Well I'm here now, ” he said. “Do you feel like going out tonight, for your birthday?”

“The only place I want to go after this is back to bed.” You paused for a lazy yawn. “Tomorrow, maybe. Is that okay with you?”

Gently, Pietro kissed your cheek. “Anything for you.”

A soft silence, one familiar to lovers comfortable in their own company, grew between the two of you. Even if this wasn't how you wanted your birthday to play out, it was hard to remain upset like this. Your eyes slid shut once more. Yes, this would do nicely for redeeming the day.


End file.
